Former Cubs World Series Champion Announces Retirement from Baseball

Jason Heyward, who helped the Chicago Cubs end their long World Series championship drought in 2016, announced his retirement from baseball on Friday.

Heyward played with the San Diego Padres last season, logging just 34 games. After he left the Cubs he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Houston Astros and the Padres.

He finished his 16-year career with a slash of .255/.336/.408 with 186 home runs and 730 RBI.

Former Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

He made the announcement during an appearance on MLB Network and on social media.

Jason Heyward and the Cubs

“After 16 major league seasons, I’m going to announce my retirement,” Heyward said. “I’m glad and happy to be stepping to the other side of the game. I look forward to being a potential mentor to any of the young players coming up — anybody that’s in the game right now. I feel like the game is in good hands. I look forward to being a fan and seeing what other ways I can give back.”

“Thank you for allowing me to live out my dream.” 🥹

Jason Heyward calls it a career after 16 MLB seasons ❤️ https://t.co/REbibqRYOA pic.twitter.com/h0kDPfIiuG
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 27, 2026

Heyward was an established right fielder when he signed an eight-year, $184 million deal with the Cubs before the 2016 season. He played five seasons with the Atlanta Braves, where he broke into the Majors in 2010 as an All-Star, followed by one year with the St. Louis Cardinals. At the time, it was the largest contract the Cubs had ever handed out.

His first season in Chicago was eventful. The Cubs ended the 106-year “Curse of the Billy Goat” and won the World Series in seven games over Cleveland. He only batted .104 in the playoffs and that season he slashed .230/.306/.325 with seven home runs and 49 RBI.

The contract likely built higher expectations than the veteran could meet. He was one of the game’s best defensive right fielders as he won five National League Gold Gloves in a six-year span, including his first two seasons with Chicago. He was a consistently productive power hitter early in his career.

But after that 2016 season, he only hit double-digit home runs four more times and only reached 20 or more homers one more time, which was in 2019 with the Cubs.

He missed considerable time in 2022 due to a quadriceps injury and Chicago took the unusual step of releasing him after that season, even though he had one year remaining on his contract worth $22 million.

In his seven seasons with Chicago, he slashed .245/.323/.377 with 62 home runs and 289 RBI. He was never named an All-Star in the Windy City and the 2017 Gold Glove he won was the last of his career.